


Moonlit Masquerade

by TestyCanadian



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: (there will be many), Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Listen the LOVE&GAME outfits gave me a lot of FEELINGS and I needed an outlet!, M/M, Magical Boys, Slow Burn, Will add tags as I go, idk what to even tag this tbh, its gonna be long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-05-01 02:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14510355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TestyCanadian/pseuds/TestyCanadian
Summary: Fantasy AU-By day, the boys of 7's Heaven Bakery are just that, humble bakers making their way through the trials and tribulations of life in the shadow of Tsunashi Palace, one of the Three Great Kingdoms. But night brings about a different side of them; a secret they must protect and a destiny they must fulfill.Sougo was fine with this set up, thrilled with it even! But everything changes when a message from the palace brings him a gift he'd never thought he'd get: the chance to meet Crown Prince Ryuunosuke.Now Sougo will be forced to choose: His Duty or his Dearest Dream.





	1. Morning Glory

“Mrs. Harada, we are here with your rye delivery!” Sougo called as loudly as he could while still being polite. He gave the old oak door another round of quick raps with his knuckles and listened for any kind of response.

 

“Ne, Sou-chan, if she doesn’t answer I get to eat the bread right?” A tired voice called from behind him. Sougo sighed fondly and turned around to meet a pair of bored cerulean eyes.

 

“No Tamaki-kun, we’ve been over this,” Sougo said, adjusting the strap of his shoulder bag. It was packed to bursting with six of Mrs. Harada’s loaves of large rye bread, their bulky shapes making the _7’s Heaven Bakery_ label on the side bulge oddly. “Mrs. Harada has already paid for her bread, that means we have to do everything in our power to get the delivery to her. You don’t get to eat it just because she didn’t hear us knocking the first time.”

 

“But this is the _fourth time_ you’ve knocked, Sou-chan!” Tamaki whined, hefting his own three bread bags higher up his shoulders. Sougo still felt a little bad about making Tamaki carry most of their load but the younger boy brushed him off every time Sougo offered to carry more. He had a feeling that, despite his whining, if Tamaki had his way Sougo wouldn’t even get to carry his one measly bag. “This happens every week. Where does such a little old lady even put all this bread?”

 

“Where do you put all the pudding you manage to eat?” Sougo asked teasingly.

 

“My pudding stomach.” Tamaki said without missing a beat, “I have a second pocket just for pudding.”

 

“I don’t believe it works like that…” Sougo sighed, looking past Tamaki to the crowd of people milling about the street.

 

Mrs. Harada was a nice old lady, and a good customer for their bakery with her giant weekly bread order, but it was the placement of her house that made her Sougo’s favorite delivery. She lived in an old two-story brownstone right at the center of town. Her cracked but sturdy stoop sat on the edge of the main town square and, since she always took so long coming to the door, Sougo could stand at the top of her steps and people watch.

 

The town square was always busy but today it was busier than usual. If the gossip Sougo had heard on the street during their earlier deliveries was to be believed, there was a messenger from the castle out and about today. There were fleeting whispers from the shopkeepers and stagecoachmen that the infamous blue and silver coat of a royal crier had been spotted at the city's edge, its owner on a steadfast mission towards the pulpit at the center of town with a mysterious scroll sealed with the symbol of the Tsunashi Royal Line clutched in his grip. There would be some sort of big announcement today, that was for sure.

 

Sougo stared wistfully up over the clustering peaks of the townhouse roofs, through the clouds of chimney smoke, and past the wide rolling hills that surrounded the town. There, right at the edge of the city, rising up like the sun on the horizon, sat the glimmering image of the Royal Palace. The beauty of its exterior, all majestic towers and vaulted arches, was matched only by the grandeur it held within. Or at least, Sougo assumed it was grand. He didn’t actually know for certain, having never been inside himself. But it had to be gorgeous if it was deemed fit enough for the wonder that was it’s most famous resident!  

 

“Sou-chan,” Tamaki called, stepping in front of him and blocking off his view of the castle’s sparkling white walls. Sougo snapped out of his revery and blinked up at Tamaki’s subtly melancholic expression, “Sou-chan, you were doing it again.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo said with a quick disarming smile, spinning around to give Mrs. Harada’s door another round of knocks.

 

“Fibbing is no good, Sou-chan,” Tamaki grumbled quietly, “It may work on the others but you can’t hide your feelings from me. No one can.”

 

“I know,” Sougo muttered, face flushing slightly in shame the way it always did when Tamaki’s particular _gift_ caught him in a lie,  “I know that, Tamaki-kun, and I’m sorry. I’ll try harder to keep my feelings to myself next time.”

 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Tamaki huffed, his delivery bags rustling as he shuffled about in agitation, “You were thinking about that prince again weren’t you? Nothing else makes you go all fluttery like that.”

 

“I am not _fluttery!”_ Sougo sputtered indignantly, “And it doesn’t matter what I was thinking about. Right now we should just focus on finishing this delivery and getting back to the bakery before that messenger gets to the square. It’s going to be hell trying to get through all the gawking onlookers if we get caught in that crowd.”

 

“If you _really_ want to get this done quickly, you should do what you did last week,” Tamaki suggested, mischievous smile playing on his lips, “Come on, Sou-chan, just give the lock a little nudge. We can leave the bread with a note and be gone before the old lady even notices! No mess, no crowd, no problem.”

 

“Tamaki-kun, no. What if someone sees?” Sougo hissed quietly.

 

“No one will see! I’ll cover you,” Tamaki assured, straightening his hunched shoulders so his body formed a wall that blocked Sougo from view of the street, “Hurry! I want to go home and get pudding from Mikki!”

 

“You’re incorrigible,” Sougo sighed in frustration. Despite his misgivings, Sougo wanted to get back to the bakery as much as Tamaki did. There was a feeling in the air like something big was about to happen, and whatever it was, Sougo didn’t want to get caught up in it. They had enough trouble on their hands, there was no need to add more to it.

 

With another tired sigh, Sougo obediently turned around and placed his hand over the rusted old door knob, closing his eyes in concentration. He pictured the lock in his mind, like he had shrunken down and traveled inside the door’s mechanism, and summoned up the rush of power that dwelled deep within himself. He felt heat gather behind his eyes and Sougo knew if they had been open, they would be glowing a brilliant electric purple. He took a deep breath through his nose and pushed the power out through his arm. His fingertips tingled with sparks of magic and Sougo directed the energy into the lock, moving the tumblers within like extensions of his own body. With a soft click the rusted door knob unlocked and the door swung open to a shadowed entryway.

 

“Wow Sou-chan, so smooth,” Tamaki whispered, excited grin lighting up his face, “That must be your quickest time yet!”

 

“I’ve been getting too much practice recently,” Sougo said frowning. He shook his head to clear it of such melancholy thoughts and instead turned his attention to the dark hall in front of him. He cleared his throat and then called loudly into the house, “Mrs. Harada, it’s Sougo and Tamaki from 7’s Heaven here with your bread order. You, um, left your door unlocked again!”

 

“What?! Who’s that?” The scratchy voice of Mrs. Harada called from deep within the house. Sougo sighed in relief as the wizened old women with her large bug-eyed spectacles shuffled into view. He had been getting a little worried when she didn’t answer the door. The elderly lady tottered over to them and squinted at Sougo through the cracked crystal of her glasses, “Oh my, if it isn’t my favorite delivery boys here with my rye! Is it bread day already?”

 

“It’s good to see Mrs. Harada,” Sougo said, bowing politely, “Sorry for barging in uninvited.”

 

“You were taking forever, Granny Harada,” Tamaki said, squeezing past Sougo into the house and sliding the bags of bread off his shoulders, “You left your door unlocked though, so we let ourselves in.”

 

“Tamaki-kun thats rude,” Sougo hissed, elbowing Tamaki in the side.

 

“Oh gosh, did I do that again?” Mrs. Harada asked, placing a hand on her chin in thought. Both boys froze up in anticipation, trying not to look to suspicious, and hoped the scraggly woman wouldn’t catch on to them. Luckily they had nothing to fear because a second later Mrs. Harada laughed merrily. “Goodness my mind must be going in my old age! That’s two weeks in a row I’ve accidentally left my door unlocked! I’m lucky the only people to notice have been you sweet boys. I’ll have to put a bell on the handle or something if I’m going to be so absent-minded to leave it open all the time. Thank you for letting me know dearies, I’ll be sure to pay more attention to it from now on.”

 

“It’s no problem at all, Mrs. Harada,” Sougo smiled, suppressing the urge to sigh in relief. His stomach twisted at the thought of lying to the kind old woman, but he couldn’t help but be grateful that her memory wasn’t what it once was, “Where would you like us to put your order?”

 

“Oh of course, you two must be in a hurry,” Mrs. Harada chuckled, patting Sougo’s cheek affectionately, “You can just leave the loaves on the table in the kitchen like usual. There are some fresh gingersnaps cooling on the counter if you’d each like one. Think of it as a tip for having to wait on little old me again.”

 

“Thanks Granny!” Tamaki said happily, tugging Sougo’s bread bag from his shoulder and dragging it as well as his own into the kitchen off the main entrance.

 

“Tamaki-kun be careful with those!” Sougo called nervously as the younger boy disappeared through the kitchen door with a muffled crash. He turned back and bowed in apology to Mrs. Harada, “I’m very sorry about him, Ma’am.”

 

“No need to worry, Sougo dear, he’s absolutely fine.” She said, waving off his apology. She smiled gently at him but her eyes held an odd look, “You should let him have a little fun while he still has the chance.”

 

“While he still has the chance?” Sugo asked, a foreboding feeling stirring in his chest, “Mrs. Harada, what do you mean---”

 

“Sou-chan! Let’s go,” Tamaki mumbled around the cookie hanging out of his mouth, hurrying back into the room with his empty bread bags slung haphazardly over his shoulder, “I want more sweets from Mikki.” He grabbed Sougo’s shirt at the elbow and gave it two short tugs. To anyone else, such a move would just be seen as a sign of Tamaki’s childish impatience to leave, but Sougo knew better. Tugging his elbow was Tamaki’s signal that he had sensed something dangerous and they needed to leave as quickly and discreetly as possible.

 

“O-of course Tamaki-kun,” Sougo stuttered out in a rush, “Look at the time, too! The others will get worried if we don’t come back soon. Please excuse us, Mrs. Harada, we really must be going now.”

 

“Of course, of course!” The old woman said jovially, waving them out the door, “I’m sure such busy boys have important places to be today. You two be careful out there, now. Oh and Sougo dear?”

 

“Y-yes Ma’am,” Sougo asked hesitantly, halfway out her door.

 

“ **_Do remember that those who hide in the shadows should be wary of stepping into the sun_ ** ,” Mrs. Harada said, voice deeper and clearer than either boy had ever heard it, “ **_Its light shines on everything, not just that which you wish others to see_ ** **.** ”

 

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Mrs. Harada,” Sougo gulped. Her words spread like ice through his veins, freezing him from the inside out. Tamaki pulled him through the threshold and Sougo stumbled after him on wobbly fear-locked legs.

 

“Well then, have a good day boys!” The old woman called, voice back to its usual happy cadence, “I’ll be sure to lock the door behind you this time!”

 

Both boys rushed down the stairs and into the crowded city center below, the door slamming shut behind them. Tamaki linked his arm through Sougo’s and weaved them into the bustle of the square, effectively getting lost in the influx of extra people milling about. After five minutes of ducking around bystanders and stepping around sales carts, Tamaki stopped them on the opposite side of the square just outside the large crowd of shoppers and onlookers.

 

“I can’t feel her anymore,” The taller of the two sighed, “We should be safe here. What was that?!”

 

“I don’t know,” Sougo said, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to shake the lingering chills from his body, “What did it feel like to you?”

 

“She was normal up until the end bit,” Tamaki said, pulling Sougo further away from the hustling crowds and towards the mouth of a narrow through street, “Then she went from dotty old lady to I don’t know what. It was spooky though, and powerful. Do you think she’s a witch or something?”

 

“Yes, or something,” Sougo mused thoughtfully, “That thing she said at the end there, it felt like something more than a warning.”

 

“Like a prophecy?” Tamaki asked, “The last thing we need is another one of those!”

 

“I don’t know what it was,” Sougo said, “But I think we should get back to the bakery and let the others know what’s happened. We should make the decision of what to do next as a group and maybe Momo-san has some information that can help us. Let’s hurry so---”

 

“Here ye, here ye! Ladies and gentlemen of the town of Clef Chester please give me your undivided attention,” A voice rang out across the square, cutting Sougo off and grabbing both boys’ attention, “I come to you with a most joyous decree from the Royal Line of Tsunashi.”

 

“So much for beating the rush,” Tamaki murmured, drawing Sougo in closer to himself to keep the shorter boy from getting trampled in the flood of people swarming toward the pulpit, “We might need to wait this out, Sou-chan.”

 

“I think you’re right Tamaki-kun,” Sougo said, “It’ll seem suspicious if we duck out during a proclamation from the castle. We don’t need the royal guards to take any unnecessary interest in us. Besides, maybe there might be some valuable information to learn here. It’s not everyday we get news directly from the royal family.”

 

“Order! Order! Quiet yourselves to hear the words of your Queen!” The crier yelled over the excited chatter of the clustered masses. There was a smattering of shushing sounds until the yells and cheers had dampened down to a dull roar. Once the crier deemed it as quiet as it was going to get, he cleared his throat and raised the scroll back up to continue the proclamation, “It is my great honor to inform you all that it is once again the time of Crown Prince Ryuunosuke’s birthday. Our Prince will be turning 23 years old and Her Royal Majesty The Queen will be throwing a ball in his honor. While this ball is of course, first and foremost, a celebration of the Prince’s birthday, it also serves another function. As you all know, Prince Ryuunosuke has yet to choose a consort for himself, a partner to help him rule over our fine land and to support him in all his endeavors. Such a person would be an equal to him in all things and as such the Prince himself must choose his spouse. However in five years, the Prince has found no one worthy enough to be his equal. In the face of such a fact, the Queen has made an unprecedented decree. This year’s ball will be open to every eligible citizen of the kingdom!”

 

The crowd roared in response to this statement but it rushed over Sougo like the muffled sounds of a waterfall. The Prince’s ball was open to everyone? That couldn’t be right. Sure it had been five years and Prince Ryuunosuke still hadn’t chosen a queen, but surely one of the nobles the Queen invited must be worthy? It was common knowledge she had reached out far past their kingdom’s borders in search of a noble bride for her son. There was no way that after all that, she would accept some commoner as the next queen. She would never see a lowly peasant from their little town as worthy.

 

But still, it was more chance than Sougo had ever had before. Maybe, just maybe, if he could sneak his way into the palace, then he might have the chance to meet the Prince himself. Maybe he could even steal a dance? The thought alone had Sougo swooning.

 

Sougo felt a large hand land heavily between his shoulder blades. It’s heat was steadying, pulling Sougo out of the frantic whirling of his thoughts and back to the even more frantic whirling of the town square. Tamaki ran his hand up Sougo’s neck until it settled on the back of the shorter’s head, and pulled him in until white hair was nestled securely under Tamkai’s chin.

 

“Sou-chan, careful,” Tamaki whispered shakily, “That was way more than a flutter. You almost took me down with you.”

 

“Sorry, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo said breathily, closing his eyes to the wave of calm Tamaki pushed over his mind. “Don’t know what came over me.”  


“Sou-chan, don’t lie,” Tamaki said, voice uncharacteristically solemn, “It’s the same as before. Only one thing makes you go all fluttery.”

 

“Tamaki-kun,” Sougo murmured, abashed, “I’m sorry I just---”

 

“I WILL HAVE ORDER!” The crier yelled angrily over the cacophony of animated voices, cutting Sougo off before he could go off on one of his apologetic tangents. It took a few moments for the crowd to settle themselves again and allow the crier to continue, “Now then, as I was saying. This years ball will be open to all eligible ladies _and gentlemen_ under the age of twenty-five, but to avoid in influx of those deemed _unworthy_ by the monarchy a series of tests will be given to all those wishing to pursue the Prince’s hand. The first of which begins now. All those who believe they are worthy of the title Prince’s Consort are to present themselves at the Palace Gates no later than 8pm tomorrow evening. In addition all petitioners must produce an invitation or be barred entry to the ball.”

 

“What’s the deal? I thought you said it was open to everyone!” An angry woman’s voice squawked from amidst the congregation, “How are we supposed to get invitations?!”

 

“If you would let me finish!” The crier bellowed, drowning out the disgruntled grumbles of the populace, “Only those sharp of mind and strong of body may petition for the Prince’s hand! As such, the first test of worthiness begins now. An invitation is the key to enter the ball, this is your one and only chance to get one. Good luck to you all!”

 

Everyone looked on in confusion as the crier rolled up his scroll and stuffed it primly back into his pocket. Then, with a rueful smile, he raise one hand and snapped his fingers. A rainbow of sparks erupted like firecrackers over the crowd, spewing paper out into the air. The crowd gaped in awe for a second, shocked at such a blatant and public show of sorcery, before someone realized what was happening. The falling papers weren’t just mere scraps of confetti, they were the coveted ball tickets.

 

Then all hell broke loose.

 

The crowd descended into chaos, everyone pushing and shoving, climbing on top of each other in a desperate bid to snag one of the delicately falling papers. Scuffles broke out the instant any person got their hands on an invitation, as everyone around began to fight them for their prize. It was complete anarchy as the crier watched on, a wicked smirk twisting up from his mouth from where he stood, safely on his pulpit, high above the rabble.

 

“Sou-chan, we gotta go!” Tamaki hissed, urgently tugging Sougo’s stiff body backwards toward an alley that led out of the square. The tall boy winced at the cacophony of anger and desperation that rolled off the raging crowd as they all jockeyed for one of the shiny papers drifting slowly down around them. Their tempestuous emotions crashed over him, battering his mind and threatening to drag him under. Tamaki frantically tugged Sougo out of the way of a gaggle of shopkeepers, abandoning their stalls to dive into the fray, but he was barely able to keep Sougo from getting trampled as the older boy dug in his heels in an attempt to stay put. Tamaki whipped around, ready to yell at Sougo that they _needed to leave like right now,_ but he stopped short when he got good look at Sougo.

 

Sougo had braced his feet against the ridges of the cobblestone street, legs set wide to ensure a steady stance. His shoulders were stiff with strain, like he was holding a heavy burden, and yet the only thing he held was his own arm outstretched. Tamaki’s eyes traveled up Sougo’s bicep, its muscles clench tight in effort, up his forearm and to his hand where all five fingers splayed out to sky above the roiling crowd. Tamaki caught a glimpse of sparking violet under Sougo’s glove and felt his chest tighten in anguish. He wanted scream at Sougo! Tell him it wasn’t worth it! Shake him until the older boy listened! But Tamaki knew nothing would get between Sougo and a chance to meet the Prince.

 

Not even outing their secret.

 

“Fine, Sou-chan,” Tamaki growled, eyes going dark. He wrapped himself around Sougo’s unyielding body and braced his feet on either side of the smaller boy’s stance. The blue-haired boy used the contact to center himself, grounding him in his own body and his own mind, before he pushed out with his gift; blanketing the two of them in a haze of forgettability. As long as Tamaki stayed focussed, not even people staring right at them would realize they were there. Tamaki breathed heavily as the weight of his act settled in. He nosed at the hair behind Sougo’s ear and spoke softly, praying the other could hear him, “If this is really what you want then I’ll help you. It better be worth it. Reel in your fish.”

 

Sougo couldn’t hear him though, he was too enraptured with his own efforts. Glowing purple eyes trained on the bits of paper, flitting about like birds on the magically-enhanced wind. He zeroed in on one, right over the center of the crowd, and whipped his power out like a snake striking its prey. His aim rang true but his power was too much, it engulfed the delicate paper and crushed it into an unrecognizable ball. Sougo released it with a startled twitch and it dropped like a rock into the fray of petitioners below. He wasn’t used to grabbing something so delicate. He could pick locks all day, move busts and artwork like it was child’s play, he could even construct barricades with benches and bookcases with ease; but paper was thin and flimsy, he’d need a gentler touch.

 

He took a deep breath through his nose and cast his gaze out among the still falling tickets. His eyes darted around until they settled on a paper a little closer to where he was standing, just above the spot where red face woman wrestled another lady in a large feathered hat. He reached out again, sending his power out more slowly this time. Instead of a ferocious snake ready to strike, he pictured his power as thin and flexible. More like a fishing line, something at the back of his mind suggested. He felt the strain in his arm double as he stretched out his mental limb and a sharp buzzing burn started behind his eyes. His emotions bucked like an angry stallion, wanting to unleash all the pent up energy his mind was holding in check. This was his chance! His only chance! He had to use all his power to get what he wanted, right?! But Sougo shoved down the impulses. Despite what his gift may think, slow and steady was his best bet here.

 

Sougo’s fingers shook when he felt his power finally make contact with the drifting ticket. The paper was so light it barely registered as anything to his extra sense. He gave his power a little tug and watched as the ticket flailed wildly in the air toward him. Sougo froze the ticket in the air when it was halfway back to his hand. The paper was wrinkled from it’s sudden flight, threatening to tear at the edges. Sougo’s brow crinkled in frustration and he moved his free hand to support his elbow, trembling from exertion. He had been using his power for a longer time than normal and the added strain of stretching it so far away from his body with so much focus was taking more of a toll than he had expected. Sougo could feel his power bubbling up behind his eyes, like a volcano ready to blow. He needed to get the ticket in quickly, or all his effort would be for nothing. The problem was that if he gave it another good yank, then the ticket would likely rip and be rendered useless. If he went more slowly his thin line of power would either get charged with too much energy and crush the ticket, or he his focus would snap under the prolonged stress and the ticket would fall into the crowd.

 

Then Sougo had a brilliant idea. If his gift wanting to use more power was the issue, maybe he just needed to give it another outlet!

 

Keeping the ticket at the center of his focus, he sent out tendrils along the length of his mental fishing line. They flailed about invisibly, like the ghostly arms of an octopus, searching for purchase in empty air. He couldn’t break his eye contact with his prize, but when he felt one of the tendrils jerk in contact with something he grabbed hold. He let the other offshoots stop their motion, but kept them extended to funnel out the excess energy into the open air. Then he carefully pulled in all the lines at a steady pace, so as not to damage the precious cargo they carried.

 

Chest heaving, arm quaking in pain, Sougo watched in wonder as two tickets floated gently into his outstretched hand. They were beautiful. Expensive navy parchment with glittering gold calligraphy and a filigree border like something out of a fairytale book. Sougo brought them close to his face to read.

 

_Admittance One_

 

_You are cordially invited to attend the annual birthday party of_

_Prince Ryuunosuke Tsunashi_

_Crown Prince of the Realm_

_Heir to the Throne_

_Congratulations and Best of Luck_

 

“Two?” Tamaki’s voice struck Sougo like a blow, knocking him out of his astonished daze, and sending him crashing back to reality.

 

Oh god what had he done?!

 

He just did magic in broad daylight! In front of a entire crowd of already-angry civilians and a retinue from the palace! Was anyone watching them? Did anyone see?!

 

Sougo felt his breath come in short gasps, his throat closing and depriving his brain of oxygen. Wide eyes spun in his head, wildly darting around trying to find any oncoming threats. Tamaki’s arms wrapped around him tightly. Sougo could see the younger boy trying to tell him something but he couldn’t hear anything over the sound of blood pounding in his ears. He felt his gift surge to the surface once again, like lava rushing to the mouth of a volcano. There was no stopping it this time, no holding it back. A sharp cry left Sougo’s mouth as he _pushed_ the power out of him in every direction.

 

White noise filled his head and his vision went dark for a second.

 

When he his mind cleared, Sougo felt like he’d been kicked in the chest. Tamaki held the older boy’s limp body close to his chest, cradled like a precious child, supporting the weight Sougo’s wobbling knees could not. One of Tamaki’s hands was threaded through Sougo’s snowy locks, pushing soothing waves of emotion through his addled brain.

 

Sougo blinked blearily at the area around them. They had been pushed back a few feet if the scuffs on the cobblestones were anything to go by. Some crates and a few bales of hay that had been near them had toppled over, spilling out a mess into the street. A newspaper cart had skidded across the road and now lay on its side. But no people seemed to have been close enough to the blast radius to have been affected.

 

“You okay now, Sou-chan?” Tamaki asked, panting with fatigue, “That was a big rebound.”

 

“Yes I’m fine but--”

 

“HEY THAT KID HAS TWO TICKETS!” A shrill voice yelled out from the mob.

 

Sougo and Tamaki whipped around to face a group of people who looked more like a pack of starving wolves than mild-mannered townsfolk. There were five women, dresses torn and hair a mess, and four men with dirtied faces and hats askew. Their eyes were crazed as they moved to slowly circle around the two boys, hands held in front of them and fingers twitching with a frenzied urge to snatch Sougo’s prize from him.

 

“Easy kid,” One of the man said softly, like he was trying to coax a frightened animal out of hiding, “We don’t want any trouble. Why don’t you just hand over the tickets? I’ll even pay you for them, how’s a hundred gold sound?”

 

“I’ll give you two hundred!” Another man called, pushing in front of the first man, “Whatever these mooks offer you, I can double! Just hand those pretty papers over to me.”

 

“Um, no thank you, Sir,” Sougo mumbled, nervously tucking the tickets into the front pocket of his shirt, “I think I’m all set on money at the moment, but thank you for your generous offer. My friend I have to be going now, please excuse us.”

 

“Not so fast!” A woman with dark hair yelled hysterically. When Sougo flinched back, she tried to soften her tone to sound more reasonable, but she couldn’t hide the desperate tinge in her voice, “You don’t want those tickets, boy. Try to think about it logically. The Prince isn’t going to pick someone like you! But if you give me those tickets to me then someone with an actual chance can try. My daughters are more than deserving of the Prince’s love and if they are chosen then I promise to invite you to the wedding.”

 

“Nonsense!” The woman to the left cried, “Her daughters are like classless pigs next to my beautiful girl! The Prince is bound to pick her and when he does I’ll make sure you get enough gold to live like a prince yourself. That’s what you want, isn’t boy?! Just hand over the tickets and I’ll lift you out of your squalor of a life.”

 

“Shut up!” Tamaki yelled over their squabbling. He lowered one of his arms so it was wrapped tightly around Sougo’s waist, lifting the older boy slightly onto his toes. Sougo looked up at Tamaki questioningly but the taller boy was too focused on the people surrounding them to meet his eyes. “Sou-chan has more of a chance than any of your stupid kids! He got those tickets fair and square and he’s not giving them to anyone. Now we’re gonna leave and you’re gonna let us.”

 

“Sorry, kid,” The first man said, stepping forward threateningly, “We aren’t going anywhere until one of us has that brats tickets.”

 

“Fine, in that case,” Tamaki said, lifting Sougo up like a sack of flour and throwing him over his shoulder, the empath thrust his hand out and cerulean sparks crackled in his eyes, “ **_FORGET_ ** ”

 

“Tamaki!” Sougo gasped in shocked protest as he watched all nine people crumpled to their knees, dazed looks falling over their faces.

 

“No time, Sou-chan!” Tamaki said, spinning them on his heels and sprinting toward a side alley, Sougo bouncing dizzyingly on his shoulder the whole way. “They’ll wake up any second and we can’t be there when they do!”

 

As Tamaki dashed down the alley, knocking over empty barrels and trash cans behind them so they couldn’t be followed, Sougo lifted his head to look back at the carnage of the Town Square. People still wrestled in the street, clamoring over each other and trading blows in their attempts to catch one of the glittering little pieces of paper. They fought with every scrap of their beings for even the smallest chance at the Prince’s hand while the royal crier and his guards gleefully watched on. Something about it it didn’t sit right with Sougo. Something seemed off.

 

He’d have to tell the others when they got back to the bakery. There was obviously some sort of nefarious magic at play here, and if that was the case then it was their job to deal with it. Sougo dropped his head tiredly against Tamaki’s back and let his eyes drift shut with exhaustion. As he let the steady sway of Tamaki’s movements lull him to sleep, he swore he could feel a comforting warmth emanating from where the tickets pressed up against his chest.

 

They undoubtedly had a trial ahead of them, but Sougo took solace in the fact that while hundreds of people may be vying for the Prince’s hand, he at least, had eyes for the Prince’s heart.


	2. Silene Viscaria

Sougo startled awake with a jolt. Worriedly, he whipped his head to and fro trying to figure out where he was, only to discover he was at a dizzyingly reversed angle and upside down. 

 

“Oh are you awake now, Sou-chan?” Tamaki’s bored tone asked from somewhere above Sougo, soothing away the fear that shot up in Sougo’s chest at his sudden awakening, “Good, I was worried you’d drained yourself too much with that stunt you pulled. I really wasn’t looking forward to explaining to Iorin why Rikkun needed to ‘waste his precious limited energy’ on healing you.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Sougo said, the memory of the events of the Town Square and his subsequent breach of secrecy rushing back into his mind, “I...That was so stupid of me! I don’t know what came over me--”

 

“Yes you do!” Tamaki huffed angrily, “You do know what came over you! It’s the same thing that comes over you every time the Prince is mentioned. But this time it was too shiny a prize to ignore and you couldn’t help yourself!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Sougo whispered, shame filling him from the very core of his being. He’d been so blinded by his own selfish desires that he had put all of them at risk, and for what? Some pieces of paper he wouldn’t even get to use. There was no way he could actually go to the Prince’s ball, not with who he was, with the mission they had to accomplish. There was nothing that came before their duty, especially not something as ridiculous as Sougo’s foolish little fantasy. 

 

“I don’t want you to be sorry,” Tamaki sighed, the shoulder supporting Sougo’s body drooping wearily, “I just want you to...talk to me about these things. You cram every feeling deep down inside you all the time Sou-chan. I can feel it, it’s like you’re trying to shove a storm into a milk bottle. The little bottle can’t take all that pressure and eventually it breaks. That’s what happened in the square, Sou-chan, your bottle broke. And it will happen again unless you learn to talk about your feelings! Momorin said our feelings control our gifts, right? So we can’t let our feelings control us. But that doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to have them!”

 

“You’re right,” Sougo said after a moment, taking a shaky breath and trying to blink the sudden hot wetness from his vision. He turned his head so he could better see and respond to his younger friend, “As you usually are, when it comes to these things. I promise I’ll try harder to confide in you in the future, Tamaki-kun.”

 

“Fine then,” Tamaki said turning his head away from Sougo, though the older boy could still see the light blush that dusted the taller’s cheeks, “I forgive you about the square thing. It was cool to watch anyway. Plus you got the tickets! Even with all those crazy people trying to get them from you!”

 

“Yes, they were acting very odd,” Sougo said pushing himself up a bit so he could better see where they were going from his position over Tamaki’s shoulder, “So was that royal messenger. It’s not often someone is given permission to use sorcery in public, especially something so flashy. And given the reactions of everyone in the square, I’m more than a tad suspicious. The pieces aren’t adding up to anything good, that’s for sure.”

 

“You think something’s up?” Tamaki asked, turning down the alleyway that led to the side door of the 7’s Heaven Bakery building.

 

“I’m not sure what it is exactly,” Sougo nodded thoughtfully, “But its definitely something we should talk to the others about. We might need to perform one of our, uh,  _ reconnaissance missions _ , if you know what I mean.”

 

“You mean we’re gonna go thieving,” Tamaki grinned, carefully setting Sougo on his feet next to the door that led into the backroom of the bakery.

 

“Shh, not so loud!” Sougo hissed, lightly swatting Tamaki’s shoulder, “Someone could hear you!”

 

“No one’s gonna hear me,” Tamaki pouted, rubbing his offended shoulder before a sly grin oozed onto his face “Everyone’s still at the Town Square. You know, where you just did straight up mage level magic, in public.”

 

“I’m sorry would you like to repeat that last comment,” Sougo said, eyes going dark even thought his mouth was pulled into a sunny smile, “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

 

“I was just saying that, uh, we should go inside!” Tamaki said quickly, shivering under Sougo’s ominous stare, “Yeah! We should go tell the others what happened! Like Yama-san! Yama-san will know what to do! Hey Yama-saann!”

 

Tamaki pushed through the door to the bakery, frantically calling for the eldest member of their little family. Sougo huffed in frustration, following the blue-haired boy into the building and carefully locking the door behind him. He knew he didn’t really have a leg to stand on when it came to lecturing Tamaki right then, but he wanted to delay having to tell the others of his mistake for as long as possible. His stomach turned at his own cowardice but he dreaded the thought of seeing the fear and disappointment on his friends’ faces. How could he have been so stupidly reckless?!

 

The white-haired boy swallowed down his dark thoughts and followed the sound of voices further into the bakery. Tamaki’s boots had left a trail of footprints through the flour that covered the bakery floor, leading all the way the back to the ovens. At its end Sougo found Yamato leaning back against one of the work benches, an indulgent smile on his face, as Tamaki excitedly detailed what had happened while they had been out on their deliveries.

 

“--So then me and Sou-chan got out of there fast, before Granny Harada could get any creepier!’ Tamaki recounted, waving his arms about excitedly, “We got all the way to the other side of the Town Square and you’re never going to believe what happened next!”

 

“Hmmmm, let me guess,” Yamato said, placing a thoughtful hand on his chin, “A messenger from the palace announced that Prince Ryuunosuke’s birthday ball is going to be open to everyone this year?”

 

“YES!” Tamaki cried happily before blinking in confusion, “Hey wait...how’d you know?!”

 

“Momo-san is in the crystal ball,” Yamato grinned, gesturing with his thumb towards the back closet which hid their secret inner sanctum, “He called in about 30 minutes ago. That’s where everyone else is.”

 

“Darn oracle,” Tamaki pouted, trudging his way past Yamato and towards the closet, “Momorin always ruins my surprises.”

 

“Now Tamaki-kun,” Sougo chided, following his two friends to the door, “That’s not very fair. Momo-san is just trying to use his gift to help us after all. We should be grateful.”

 

“Yeah I knooooow,” Tamaki groaned, pulling the closet door open and ducking through it, “But it means Yama-san always knows what I’m gonna say!”

 

“Aw come on Tama,” Yamato said, following after the sulking empath, “You’ll surely get me at some point. You can read my emotions after all, there’s got to be something you can surprise me with.” 

 

“Too much effort,” Tamaki sighed tiredly, pushing past the various aprons a chefs coats at the back of the closet that concealed one of Yamato’s shadowy swirling portals, “I’ll just have to try to beat Momorin next time.”

 

“I don’t see how trying to outrun a seer is less effort than using your own gift, Tamaki-kun,” Sougo said with a concerned frown as the three boys passed through the other side of the portal, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just stop trying to get the jump on your friends?”

 

“But Sou-chan, where’s the fun in that?” Tamaki asked, looking so genuinely confused that Sougo couldn’t help but smile at how endearing it was. Before the older boy could give Tamaki an answer, the rest of their group hurried to greet them.

 

The four remaining members of their merry little band were gathered in chairs sat around the large table in the middle of the hidden room, in the center of which sat a large crystal ball glowing with faint pink light. All four had looked up as the three stragglers had entered, smiling at the return of the delivery boys.

 

“Tamaki! Sougo-san!” Riku cried happily, jumping up from his spot in the squishiest armchair at the head of the table and rushing over to embrace his friends, “I’m so happy you’re back! I’ve had a weird feeling about you two all morning, I’m glad you’re okay. Now that you’re here we can finally discuss what Momo-san called us about.”

 

“Yes Momo-san says you two have been in the thick of it this morning,” Iori said, frowning as he picked up the blanket that had fallen off Riku’s lap when he’d jumped from his seat, “We’ve all been worried, even though he said you’d be fine. I assume Yamato has filled you in on the details so far?”

 

“That the Prince’s party is open to the public?” Sougo asked, moving to take his own seat next to Iori at the table, “Or the part about Mrs. Harada’s prophecy?”

 

“He means the party,” Mitsuki said wide-eyed, “What’s this about the rye lady giving you a prophecy?!”

 

“It’s nothing I’m sure!” Sougo said, putting his hands up placatingly and looking to Tamaki for support.

 

“It was super creepy!” Tamaki said instead, taking on what was surely supposed to be a spooky voice and wiggling his fingers menacingly “ _ Beware of stepping into the sun  _ and stuff. We booked it out of their before she could turn us into frogs or something though, so we should be safe.”

 

“That’s concerning,” Iori hummed, placing a hand over his mouth in thought, “We’ve been delivering to her weekly for nearly a year now, and none of us ever suspected she might have been a witch.”

 

“We should have known,” Nagi sighed dramatically, slumping down over the table, “No one eats that much rye bread all on their own without some kind of ulterior motive!”

 

“Hey I’ll have you know my rye is delicious and anyone would want to eat as much of it as they could!” Mitsuki huffed, irritably flicking Nagi in the ear.

 

“We probably shouldn’t fill her delivery any more to be safe,” Yamato said, dropping tiredly into his chair as Tamaki and Riku returned to their own seats, “What a pain, she was one of our best customers.”

 

“I believe there are more pressing matters at the moment, Yamato-san,” Iori chided, once again placing the blanket over Riku’s lap, “Like the fact that a witch gave Sougo-san and Tamaki-san a prophecy, coincidentally on the same day Momo-san called in with a mission?”

 

“Yes! Yes! Finally, let’s get to the main event!” A bubbly voice called from the center of the table, the glowing fog within the crystal swirling to reveal the eager face of the Oracle Momo, “Forget about the old hag’s hints, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about! I’m the real bonafide seer here, you can trust me with all your future telling needs! I know everything you need to know and now that you’re all here I can tell you all the details.”

 

“Yes of course. We’re sorry to have kept you waiting, Momo-san,” Sougo apologized, bowing slightly to the boy in the orb, “We were held up a bit on our way back.”

 

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, everything is fine!” Momo smiled, “Or it will be fine, because you’re going to do a great job like you always do thanks to my help! This is a big gig too! My Yuki is going to be so proud of me when you all save the day!”

 

“A job?” Sougo asked, forehead creasing as a seed of fear began to bloom in his chest, “But how could our, uh,  _ expertise _ , be of any use for the Prince’s birthday party? Surely they’ve done nothing to require our involvement! The Tsunashi line has always been just and good to its people, there’s no reason for them to suddenly start experimenting with the dark arts!

 

“Well you’re right on most parts, Sougo,” Momo hummed thoughtfully, “The royal family hasn’t done anything wrong, in fact something wrong has been done to them! Someone in the court has given the Prince an early birthday gift. It looks like an ordinary pocket watch, but it’s hiding a concealed curse.”

 

“What?!” Sougo cried, fingers crackling as his magic reared up in response to his sudden swell of terror and rage. The Prince was in danger?! How  _ dare  _ someone attempt to curse the Prince?! How could the Royal Guard let such a thing occur! It was inexcusable! 

 

Sougo’s eyes sparked with power, his gift bubbling up in him like it had in the Town Square earlier that day, fueled by his swirling emotions. The shelves, chairs, and even the great table in the room began to shake as Sougo’s gift started to get the better of him. Luckily a large hand clapped down hard on his shoulder, snapping Sougo out of his fury and pushing intense calmness through him. The icy cool of serenity quelled the fire of anger pulsing through his veins and made Sougo swoon at the sudden change. 

 

“Easy there Sou-chan,” Tamaki’s voice crooned, pulling Sougo into a tight side-hug as the empath soothed his friend, “Two outbursts in one day is more than your body can handle.”

 

“ _ Two  _ outbursts?” Iori asked suspiciously, “Is there something you two would like to tell us about what other adventures you’ve been up to this morning?”

 

“Iori,” Yamato said sternly, eyeing the younger boy with the authority of leadership he was usually so reluctant to flaunt, “Leave it. You said it yourself, we have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.”

 

“He’s right Iori,” Riku said more gently, placing a hand on Iori’s shoulder and nodding to the oracle, “Go on, Momo-san, you were saying something about a curse.”

 

“Yep! A nasty curse!” Momo said, smiling like Sougo’s little telekinetic tantrum was a completely harmless (and expected) event, “As you probably suspected, Prince Ryuunosuke is a magic user as most nobles and royalty are. But unlike most common nobility, he’s no ordinary low grade magician or wizard level sorcerer; he’s a true magus.”

 

“So like us then,” Mitsuki frowned, “If he’s got a gift that powerful, it must be one heck of a curse on that watch.”

 

“But how would he not notice it?” Riku asked worriedly, “Even if he didn’t detect it himself, surely someone in his court would figure it out!”

 

“A powerful curse comes from a powerful enchanter,” Momo said, near-constant mirth finally bleeding away to a more serious tone, “This isn’t some ordinary witch or wizard making a bid for power, its someone far darker. Worse still, its someone already close enough to the Prince to be above suspicion. Their identity is clouded in my vision but their intent is not. The Prince will soon become King of one of the three great Kingdoms, if his heart can be turned before such a time it will be a great boon for those who wish to bring about a new dark age. The curse will trigger at the stroke of midnight on Prince Ryuunosuke’s 23rd birthday; if he still holds the watch when it occurs, then his heart, and his magic, will turn as black as a moonless night.”

 

“Turn his heart?” Nagi asked, voice no more than a fearful whisper, “This cursed watch can really corrupt him? Someone has the kind of power and gift necessary to blacken the heart of true magus against their will?!”

 

“Yes. That’s where you come in.” Momo said grimly, looking over the seven of them with icy conviction, “You’ll do your duty and destroy such a bane against magic. The only one who can purify something so dark is Riku, and as his knights the rest of you must aide him in retrieving the cursed object and saving this kingdom. This will be your most important mission to date. Do you all understand the gravity of the situation?” 

 

“We understand Momo-san,” Yamato said, the others nodding with him in agreement, “We gladly accept your assignment.”

 

“Fantastic!” Momo clapped, his bubbly enthusiasm returning like a switch was flipped, “In that case the only thing left to do is figure out how you’re going to get into the castle!”

 

“We can just sneak in like usual right, Momorin?” Tamaki said, waving his hand dismissively, “Sure the castle’s guarded pretty well, but its still just another treasure vault right? We use Yama-san’s portals, Nagicchi sneaks in all disguised to run interference, I find the thing, Sou-chan gets the thing, Iorin and Mikki guard the door incase we need back up, and then we all book it back here so Rikkun can purify the thing. Easy peasy!”

 

“Nope! Easy not peasy!” Momo shook his head with a wink, “This time is gonna be waaaay different than normal. Like I said the cursed watch was an early birthday gift given to the Prince from someone he trusted, so he’s keeping the thing on his person. He thinks its a lucky talisman to help him find a bride at his birthday, since he’s had such trouble finding anyone thus far.”

 

“That does pose some issues,” Iori frowned, “It’s much harder to steal something off a moving target than it is from a guarded vault.”

 

“And it only gets worse!” Momo cried excitedly, making all seven boys groan in annoyance, “Hey it’s not my fault you’ve made a name for yourselves, Phantom Thieves~.”

 

“Actually it kind of is,” Riku mumbled testily, “But that’s besides the point. Are you saying they’re planning for us, specifically?”

 

“Why of course they are,” Momo nodded, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Why wouldn’t the illustrious Phantom Thieves, who have been successfully swiping every noteworthy magical object in the realm, pass up such an opportunity to pilfer the royal treasure chamber? It’s not like everyone knows you’re only stealing cursed things to purify, so the Royal Guard is planning for anything.”

 

“That does throw a bit of a wrench in things, but we could still work around it,” Mitsuki said, “The Royal Guard has some good enchanters in their ranks so we’ll have to be a bit more indirect than usual.”

 

“And wait there’s more” Momo cheered.

 

“You know you’re not being very helpful, Momo-san,” Mitsuki said through grit teeth, eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

 

“Now now Mitsuki, someone has to have a positive attitude about this!” Momo grinned, “Besides you have my absolute faith that you can do this!”

 

“Thank you for the vote of confidence Momo-san,” Sougo said, trying to soothe his friend’s ruffled feathers so they could get whatever other information the oracle had seen before Mitsuki drove his fist through the crystal ball, “But what else could there possibly be?”

 

“Well the guards aren’t the only ones planning for you,” Momo warned, “Whoever gave Prince Ryuunosuke the watch also knows what you all have really been up to. They know that you’re going to try and steal the watch to nullify the curse, so they’ve taken precautions. They’ve placed a secondary enchantment on the watch itself. It’s a kind of mind magic that only activates if someone who is magically inclined, and knows of the watch’s primary curse, gets close to it. When that happens, the enchantment will put the person trying to take the watch into a deep sleep until they are outside the range of the charm. It essentially places a barrier around the Prince without it being detectable to the Royal Guard’s sorcerers or any random magic users amongst the guests at the ball.”

 

“How do we get around such a charm?” Riku asked worriedly, “Now that we all know about the curse, we’ll all be affected.”

 

“Not aaaalll of you~” Momo sang, his face bobbing around the crystal ball like he was dancing with his scrying mirror at the other end of their connection.

 

“No, unacceptable,” Iori said, face going hard in determination, “I will not allow Riku-san to put himself at risk during such a dangerous operation.”

 

“You’re devotion is as adorable as always, Iori,” Momo said, smirking at the light blush that rose up under Iori’s steely expression, “But that’s not what I was implying. The best way to fight fire is with fire right? You’re going to have to fight mind magics with mind magics!”

 

“Send in the psychics then?” Yamato asked, looking to where Sougo and Tamaki still sat huddled shoulder to shoulder, “Well they do already seemed to be wrapped up in the thick of this.”

 

“Exactly! Got it in one as usual Yamato, 5 points to you,” Momo said with a grin, “The enchanter is powerful, but they’re no mind mage. Sougo and Tamaki’s gifts will be enough to keep them unaffected by the sleep charm. From there you’ll just have to ----”

 

“Momo-sama who are you talking to?” A muffled voice sounded from Momo’s side of the connection.

 

“UH NO ONE!” Momo yelped, face going white as he leaned in closer to his scrying mirror, his face going large on the boys’ side of the crystal ball, and fervently whispered, “The rest will have to be up to you. Good luck.”

 

Then with a flash, the crystal went dark and the room fell into silence.

 

“His minders always have perfect timing don’t they?” Yamato sighed, sitting up straighter in his chair and looking over the other 6 boys, “Alright then team, anyone got ideas? Let’s hear ‘em.”

 

“We could always go with the most believable option,” Mitsuki offered, raising his hand, “We can send Sougo and Tamaki in as delivery boys for the bakery. I could whip up a bunch of cupcakes or something and send them in with the cart. Tamaki can hand wave them pat the guards with some other caterers and Sougo can grab the watch when they drop off the sweets.”

 

“The Queen will probably have all the cooking done in house so there’s no chance an outsider could poison the guests,” Iori countered, shaking his head at his brother, “Even if they are outsourcing some of the food, there’s no guarantee the Prince will be anywhere near the area when the caterers drop things off. Anyone found wandering around will surely be detained until after the ball as well.”

 

“Maybe we can disguise them as waiters?” Nagi suggested, “That way they could easily travel around the ballroom and get close to the Prince when he needs a refreshment.”

 

“Also no,” Iori vetoed again, “If they think we’re going to heist the place then they’ll have a very tight grasp on which servants are working the ball. Anyone out of place will be immediately discovered. Just because whoever put the curse on the Prince isn’t a mind mage doesn’t mean the Royal Guard doesn’t have psychics in their ranks. Tamaki won’t be able to trick all of them, the moment he tries to manipulate one, they’re as good as caught.”

 

“Right, so the question is,” Yamato established, “How do we sneak a pair of strangers into the palace when every guard is on the lookout for them?”

 

“As guests,” Riku said suddenly, eyes going wide with recognition, “They have to go as guests!”

 

“Bingo,” Yamato said, winking at Riku, “They’re going to have to go in as consort hopefuls. That’s the only plausible way the guards will let them through the doors. It’s also the best way for them to get close to the Prince. The only people who will be allowed to get within pickpocketing distance will be the guests petitioning for Prince Ryuunosuke’s hand.”

 

“It shouldn’t be too hard to get them in that way,” Iori said, crossing his arms as his brow creased in thought, “If the Queen has truly opened up the ball to the common folk, a pair of new faces in the crowd won’t be too suspicious. But it can’t be that easy. There’s no way she’d let just anyone go after her son’s hand. There has to be some bar to entry.”

 

“It’s invitation only,” Sougo murmured, throat going tight as all his friends’ eyes turned on him, “That’s what the messenger in the Town Square was announcing. The bar to entry is a series of worthiness tests, the first of which is getting a ticket and presenting it at the gates of the Palace at 8pm tomorrow evening.” 

 

“Tickets huh?” Nagi asked, pausing for a moment before clapping his hands together gleefully, “Well that’s not the hardest thing we’ve had to find right? I’m sure Tamaki can prowl the town tonight and try to get a feel of who might have one. After that it’s just the usual schtick of sneak in, grab it, and get out right?”

 

“There’s a lot of unknown factors here,” Iori said standing up from his chair so he could pace the room, “We don’t have much time, it’s nearly nightfall already and we’ll have to case multiple houses. We won’t know if they’re magic users or not until we’re already in the middle of the heist which adds to the risk. Plus we can’t let the Royal Guard know it’s us stealing the tickets, or they’ll be onto our plan thus making it moot. If such a suggestion were to work, than Tamaki-san would have to start right away in locating possible ticket holders.”

 

“Hey Iorin,” Tamaki called, raising his hand and making Sougo sink down guiltily in his seat, “I already know someone that has tickets.”

 

“Oh? That’s fantastic Tamaki-san!” Iori said, stopping his pacing to look up at the taller boy, “Who?”

 

There was a long silence as everyone looked to Tamaki to continue, waiting for him to tell them where they needed to begin so they could acquire the coveted tickets. But Tamaki wasn’t looking at them. His eyes turned down to where Sougo cowered, hunch down low in his seat. With shaking hands, Sougo reached into his front pocket and ran his fingers over the grain of the paper, still warm to his touch. Swallowing past his anxiety, he pulled the tickets out of his pocket and carefully splayed them out on the table for the others to see.

 

“Two tickets, huh?” Yamato sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to ward off his growing headache. “How’d you get them, Sou?”

 

“I…” Sougo started to say, but his words got caught in his throat. How could he tell them that he broke the rule? The one rule he promised he wouldn’t break when they agreed to take him in! His eyes burned as the shame filled him up. He felt like he was going to burst.

 

“Sougo-san,” Riku’s voice, even and calm and full of understanding, broke through the bubble of Sougo’s brooding thoughts. The white-haired boy’s head shot up and his water eyes met a compassionate crimson pair. “Sougo-san, whatever happened we’ll face it together. We’re a family and that’s what family’s do, okay? No one is going to throw you out for making a mistake.”

 

“Okay,” Sougo breathed, taking a breath a furiously scrubbing at his eyes, “Alright I understand. I’m sorry everyone I….I messed up. I’m sorry.”

 

“You did magic in public didn’t you,” Iori said gravely, putting the pieces together, “That’s how you got these tickets isn’t it, Sougo-san?”

 

“Yes,” Sogou nodded, bowing his head in repentance, “I’m so sorry. Something came over me. I couldn’t just let the chance go. I had to try and get them.”

 

“Did anyone see you?!” Mitsuki demanded.

 

“No.” Tamaki said, standing from his chair and staring the others down defensively, “No one saw him. I made sure of it. We were outside the crowd and I covered us. No one saw him do any magic and we got away with no one the wiser.”

 

“You’re sure, Tama?” Yamato asked sternly, eyes gleaming with the seriousness of the situation, “You’re certain no one knows you have those tickets?”

 

“100% absolutely sure!” Tamaki exclaimed, nodding emphatically, “Sou-chan worked too hard for his prize, so I knew I couldn’t let him down by letting someone see. As far as anyone knows, we weren’t even in the Square when the ball was announced.”

 

“Alright everyone, enough,” Riku’s voice cut through the tension in the room, “Iori, Tamaki, sit back down. This is no time to fight or point blame when there’s really no need. If Tamaki says no one saw them, then no one saw them. I think we can trust an empath to know if people are suspicious of them, right?”

 

“Riku does have a point,” Nagi said, reaching across the table and pulling the tickets in front of himself so he could read them, “Besides there’s no point worrying about it now. We have the tickets and the psychics and a mission to fulfill. We might as well work with what we have and plan from there.”

 

“He’s got a point, Iori,” Mitsuki said, patting his brother’s shoulder as the younger came back to his seat at the table, “We shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Sougo already having both tickets means we don’t have to waste our time finding and stealing them. Now we have more time to plan how their going to get the watch and get out of the castle undetected.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Iori sighed, slumping slightly in his seat, “If you two really weren’t seen, then we should treat this as the boon it is. Just, don’t make a habit of it okay? Sougo-san?”

 

“You have my word,” Sougo nodded solemnly, “If that’s still worth anything to you.”

 

“Your word is worth more than all the gold in the world, Sougo-san,” Riku said, the warmth of his smile felt like the sun itself to Sougo, “Magic is a fickle thing. Sometimes our gifts know better than we do, and trying to change their minds is like trying to change the seasons; frustratingly futile. Besides, I get the feeling that Momo-san was trying to hint at how important the two of you are to this mission. If Fate is involved, then there  _ really _ wasn’t anything you could have done.”

 

“Hey there Mister Mystic! I thought I was supposed to be the leader here!” Yamato huffed, giving an exaggerated pout at Riku.

 

“Then get better at pep-talks, old man,” Mitsuki said, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at their oldest member

 

“I’m plenty good at pep talks!” Yamato squawked.

 

Sougo used the moment the older two boys’ bickering gave him to collect his thoughts. He was fine now, despite the swirling doubts that flooded his mind. His friends didn’t hate him. They weren’t going to get rid of him, even though he’d broken his promise and put them all in danger! His heart swelled with so many emotions and he felt himself getting choked up again. What had he done to deserve such wonderful people in his life? How could he ever repay them?!

 

“C’mon Sou-chan you know that’s not how that works,” Tamaki whispered, leaning in close to Sougo’s ear and rubbing soothing circles over the smaller’s back, “Family loves you no matter what. That’s kinda the point.”

 

“Tamaki-kun…” Sougo breathed, leaning into the touch, “Thank you. Thank you for everything, I…”

 

“I know,” Tamaki shrugged, smirking at Sougo’s wide-eyed blink of surprise. “I’m awesome. And because of me, now you get to go to your Prince’s fancy ball.”

 

“ _ My Prince’s _ ” Sougo spluttered, hastily scooting his chair away from Tamaki’s smugly grinning face, “Now wait just a moment--”

 

“If you’re all quite done being loud and unhelpful,” Iori called, expression very unimpressed, “Nagi-san has come up with a workable idea.”

 

“Really?” Mitsuki asked, genuinely surprised, “That’s rare.”

 

“Oh Mitsuki!” Nagi cried, “You wound me so!”

 

“Yeah yeah, please remember how well your last  _ wonderful _ plan went,” Mitsuki said waving off the blond, “I’ll believe it when I see it. So Iori, what’s the idea?”

 

“We were discussing how to get them in and out without anyone recognizing them,” Iori said, nodding to the two psychics, “They need to keep as low a profile as possible. The best case scenario is no one even knows they went to the ball at all. Riku-san thought that maybe Tamaki-san could cloak them with his gift, but I thought it might raise too much suspicion if one of the Guards stumbled across them. But the Nagi-san noticed something on the back of the tickets.”

 

Iori held up on of the ticket so the rest of the table could see the glittering gold embossing on the back.

 

_ Prince Ryuunosuke’s Birthday Ball _

_ ~A Masquerade Under The Moonlight~ _

 

“A Masquerade means everyone is already going to be in disguises,” Riku said, smiling excitedly, “You’ll be completely anonymous! No one will suspect a thing!”

 

“Fate is certainly pushing for something, that’s for sure,” Yamato grinned, standing from his seat, “Well then, let’s get to work everyone. Sougo and Tamaki, go through our archives and see if we have any maps or journal entries on the Palace and its grounds so you can start planning your entrance and exit strategies. Try to come up with some half believable cover stories for the ball while you’re at it. Iori, Nagi, you two get on making costumes. We can’t have them raising suspicions because they look like ragamuffins. Mitsuki you’re with me, we’re going to get the cart ready for their drop off and rigged up in case we need it for a quick get away.”

 

“Oh what about me Yamato-san?” Riku asked eagerly, “What can I do?”

 

“Why Riku, you have the most important job of all,” Yamato said seriously, “You have to man the bakery counter while the rest of us get ready.”

 

“Aw boo!” Riku pouted, “Why do I get the boring job?”

 

“Someone has to cover the shop while the rest of us work,” Yamato shrugged, voice teasing, “Besides, I have to prove I can properly lead your knights now don’t I, Your Majesty?”

 

“Oh hush you!” Riku huffed, face going as red as his hair as he fled the room for the now far safer and less embarrassing sanctuary of the bakery, “Fine, get to it then!” 

 

“That gets him every time,” Sougo said, sighing fondly at Riku’s retreating back, “You’d think he’d get used to it.”

 

“He wouldn’t be our Riku if he did that though,” Nagi said, “But don’t worry about that. The three of us have work to do!”

 

“Mmmm but Nagicchi,” Tamaki hummed, “Yama-san gave us different jobs.”

 

“Yes and you can go do your assignments after I get done with mine.” Nagi said, grabbing the two psychics by their elbows and dragging them stumbling from the room and rushing up the stairs towards their sleeping quarters, “I’ve always wanted to do something like this!”

 

“Something like what?” Sougo asked, getting an inkling that he wasn’t going to like the answer.

 

“Why my dear Sougo,” Nagi said, manic grin taking over his face as he tossed both boys into the bedroom he shared with Yamato, “It’s obvious isn’t it? The dashing heroes, the Prince in danger, the curse that hits at midnight? This is like something out of a fairytale!”

 

“Nagicchi,” Tamaki whimpered worriedly, “I don’t like where this is going.”

 

“Nonsense Tamaki,” Nagi said, grin going somehow wider as he grabbed his measuring tape and a cup of pins off his desk, “I know exactly what I’m doing! Now just hold still and this won’t hurt a bit. I’m going to turn you two into a lovely pair of Cinderellas!”

 

Sougo and Tamaki’s faces went white and they made a mad dash for the door, only for it to be slammed shut in their faces. Their pleads and cries as Nagi worked fell on deaf ears to the others hard at work below. Their fellow thieves figured the psychic pair could put up with Nagi’s odd obsession with fashion for a bit, while the rest of them started prepping for the mission. 

 

Afterall the ball may not be until tomorrow night, but their game was already afoot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have performed necromancy and raised this fic from the dead! :D  
> This was a lot of exposition i know but trust me it's gonna be worth it!  
> I'm excited to hear your thoughts! Any questions? I left some breadcrumbs scattered throughout here so be on the lookout ;)  
> I've actually done a lot of plotting for this one so if you like intrigue plots this might be one for you!

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I have too many WIPs, I know! But I couldn't help myself okay?! I've had this on the brain for like 2 months and I've been wanting to do a fantasy AU for like forever! 
> 
> So this is going to be a long haul one, for sure. I have a lot of it planned out and I'm getting as many characters (and quite a few ships) in as I can.
> 
> I'm very excited about this and I'd love to hear your thoughts!


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